I need help moding my car for SCCA 99 camaro

OK im new to the forum and i just baught a 99 camaro last week. I baught the car for car club racing not drag racing so i got the v6 3.8L. I was wondering what all I could do to the car to sqeeze out every horse i can just short of a turbo or supercharger. The guy i baught it from has done some work to it all ready and ill list that below. Also if there is anything else other then horses you can give advice on please feel free.

agx shocks 8 stage ajustables

lowering springs not sure what brand but he said he measured after the install and they dropped the car an inch

stock cat but everything after that is aftermarket not sure what brand but he told me i forgot. Sounds real good though and i remember he said was real good flow not very resticted

Some temp sensor he said tricked the ecu into thinking the air was 2 degrees cooler?

K&N air filter but stock airbox

thats all the mods i can think of that he said was on it. Is 300hp out of a v6 doable without a supercharger or turbo? And one other question i have from reading another thread. What is dyno tuned? and is it worth it to get it done to a v6?

Please give me advice need all i can get.
Terry

well, i really hate to be a downer, but most of the guys in SCCA are running V8's and i dont see how a sixer is going to be competitive. I think you would be far better off keeping this sixer as a daily driver, and buying a third gen with a 305 for cheap, and going from there. the third gens are lighter, and with a V8 you will be far more competitive than with a sixer. (although youd want to replace the 305 with a more performance oriented small block) also steer clear of the T5 equipped cars, (5 speed manual) and get a automatic car, or look into swapping in a T56 for a surviveable transmission.

OK here is my problem with what you posted. I wanted to buy a gen 3 but my wife hates that body style. So im stuck with the gen 4 99 i got. I wanted a daily driver that i could also autocross. So from the mass amount of people i talked too and my good friend who autocrosses his mustang I baught the v6 camaro. I was told by him and some other autocross drivers that the v6 handles real well due to engine placement and it makes a great autocross car. Hell I saw a guy with an old beat to hell pickup with a 4 banger beat the time of a brand new viper. Granted the viper owner was a rookie and couldnt keep the car from spinning out. Anyway i wanted to know what i could do to the car to get the most horsepower and control out of the car since i have to use this for both daily driver and autocross on the weekends. I am not really worried about being the best out there since this would be my first year i just want the car to be the best it can be for what it is. Please any help would be great for making this car the best it can be.

New owner of a 1999 camaro 3.8L
Terry

I was told by him and some other autocross drivers that the v6 handles real well due to engine placement and it makes a great autocross car.
So would a lightened up Z-28.

The V6 and the LS1 are VERY close in weight.

Here is your "temp sensor chip" that tricks the computer into thinking the air is 2 degrees cooler...LOL!!!!!


http://www.performanceprobe.com/extras/ebayscam.htm

So would a lightened up Z-28.

The V6 and the LS1 are VERY close in weight.

Yes they are close in weight but the big dif is there center of gravity and the fact that the 3.8L is placed behind the front wheels for the most part is what gives the car its great handling. If im not mistakin the v8 would have to sit further in front of where the v6 sits there fore changing the center of gravity. Im no pro by any means and i appreciate everyones input.

All that aside what can i do to the v6 cause thats what im stuck with to juice it up for autocross? I would like to know what all engine and suspension mods i should do to it to make it the best car it can be.

Thanks
Terry

well a point of clarification is that i thought you were doing SCCA trans am racing, the sixer wouldnt stand a chance, but it sounds like you are doing bracket autocrossing where the sixer would be a decent performer.

well if you are stuck on running that car, then the best mods will be suspension and chassis mods, im not up to speed on the 3800 engines, so i wont offer misguided advice on that front.

Look to hotchkiss for a complete suspension kit, which will include subframe connectors, front and rear sway bars, strut tower brace, lower control arms, and trailing arms for the rear. it will also have a complete spring set. on top of that for further chassis stiffening you might look into a steering support that ties the front of the subframe together at the front swaybar mounts, and also a four or six point roll cage wont be too intrusive, and will further stiffen the chassis. an added benifit is that many times these aftermarket components will be lighter than the factory peices they replace. also for autocross acceleration is far more important than top end, so a set of 4.10 gears would be very helpful for your out of corner acceleration.

there are some performance options for the 3800 engine, but ill let some of our six banger heads help ya on that, some headers, ported heads, and a cam would probly wake up the little engine.

I would do suspension and tires. make the car as stiff as possible and grip as much as possible. that way you can keep as much speed as possible through the corners. this is where you will win. if you can make that car do what you want it to when you throw it into the corners at hi speed, you'll have a good advantage.

As far as engine mods, I would keep it limited to intake and exhaust. anything else and you'll probably have to spend a lot of money. Headers, intake (from the air box all the way back, if you can find one), then maybe a cat back system, if you have the $$$.

I probably would do larger rear sway bar (with polurethane bushings), strut tower brace (a must... for the rear also if you can find one), sub-frame connectors. And tires made specifically for dry weather traction... don't skimp on the tires, you'll see a huge improvement. check www.tirerack.com . check out the dry traction rating on this tire (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Firestone&tireModel=Firehawk+Indy+500&vehicleSearch=true&partnum=355TR6FHI500&fromCompare1=yes&place=4).

Talk to TDS about your suspension
http://www.top-downsolutions.com/index.php?cPath=24&osCsid=50ec75cb5af876cbf26230d09c46576b

I also agree with the lower rear end gears. 3.73 or 4.10 , I probably would do 3.73 unless you are not going to be doing much highway drivin.

I did a little research, and you are right.

The V6 sits a touch better over the front axle for handling purposes.
You are going to be looking at a complete suspension overhaul though. And lighten the car up a bit without compromising driveability.

Good luck!!

Iroc yes im doing all autocross. Sorry for the misunderstanding. Thank you for your advice at least now i have somewhere to start. I had a good idea from my friend what to do suspension wise. Being a ford guy he didnt know much of what to do with the engine. Like i said in an earlier post It has aftermarket larger then stock pipes on it now minus a high flow cat. How much HP gain could be expected from a high flow cat? I was also thinkking of putting the K&N ram air kit on the car but not sure how much HP gain that would give me over a cold air intake. Dont have enuff money right now to do a gear change and being that i want to keep it a god highway driver too i dont know if i can do a gear change. Its 60 miles round trip to work everyday and need all the gas mileage i can get. Any other simple engine mods would be grat. How about oversized pullies iveheard of them but dont know what they do. Sorry im retarded when it comes to moding an engine for performace but ay help would be great so i can learn.

Terry

ok well a few details for the fbodies as areas of suspension mods are that the main weaknesses of the chassis. the subframe construction is almost a pivot point at the widnsheild, this is where subframe connectors and possibly the roll cage come in handy to tie the chassis together and eliminate flex. also im not entirly sure about fourth gens, but in the third gens, the six cylender and rs camaros lacked the "wonder bar" that the IROC and GTA had, which is a bar that bolts to the two front subframe ends under the sway bar mounts.

as far as engine modifications, the high flow cat may give a few hp, a cold air induction may give around 10hp.

if its a daily driver, then i agree the 4.10 gears are too much, but a set of 3.73 gears would work just fine, and im assuming if its for autocross, then you have the manual transmission. with the doubble overdrive the deeper gears might actually inproove your aound town gas mileage by allowing you to accelerate faster with less throttle. something to think about when you get the money.

regarding pullies, i think you are talking about underdrive pullies, these are worth around 11hp. oher than that, an aftermarket ignition (if they are available, im not sure) and the intake and exhaust mods. other than that, im not to sure what mods you can do to the 3800

I have some suggestions for a little more power. First, I own a 99 Z28. Alot of the intake stuff is interchangeable between the LS1 and the 3800. If I am not totally mistaken, the Airbox and Lids are identical. There is a "Free-Ramair" mod that can be done to the lower airbox. Very good instructions are found here:
http://www.installuniversity.com/install_university/index.htm

I would also install an airbox lid. These have been dyno proven to give about 10 rwhp on v-8s.
If you are on a tight budget, you can eliminate the facotry silencer ( between the lid and MAF) and then fab a peice of pipe from the lid to the MAF, and also with a little creative application of a Dremmel, remove the ridges under your stock lid. I would also remove the K&N filter and go back with the stock paper element. On the v-8's I have seen many dynos where otherwise stock motors have lost power with a K&N. Not an expert, but it seems to have something to do with the size of the filters and pressure drop across it. Seems GM got this one right! Another good site for some instalation info is:

http://www.ls1howto.com/

I know these are LS1 sites, but in the 4th gens, there aren't many differences between the v6 and v8.
Hope this helps some. You may also try and look around for some 3800 V6 specific sites. I don't remember any right now, but I have ran accross them. It is definitely possible to build one of these motors to the 300hp level. Torque is a little harder to get though.
KevinD

Thanks kmdracer thats the stuff i was looking for. That free ram air thing just saved me 300 bucks too. would it be worth buying a ram air kit still for the steel ducting that brings the air up from the radiator? also i found this airbox lid http://fasttoys.net/shop/product_info.php?products_id=29&osCsid=526f658b0ede938b823d1b22f0a6f14b is this what your speaking of for 10hp? Thanks again for the sites. I like the fast toys site too i put together a wish list and im at 3500 bucks :)

Terry

3500 bucks but you cant afford a set of rear gears????? ;)

I can give you much of what you need to know but am hitting the sack now. Check out www.fullthrottlev6.com and I will post up more tomorrow or the day after, but don't let the v8 guys talk you down, most of them dont know squat about the 3.8 ;)

i think he means that his wish list totals $3500. I had to think about that for a second too.

Yes i did say WISH list. Thanks 97CamaroRS for the leg up and i cant wait to hear from you. I really want this puppy to push 300 HP after i get all the suspension done. I plan to do every free mod there is on the one site i got from you all. Still wondering about the ram air mod for money over the free on though. The free one doesnt have the metal piece to redirect air up into the box like the one i saw on the website. Thanks again for all the help and hints keep them coming and i cant wait to hear more.

Terry

havent i been admiting all along i dont know alot about the sixers?????????


oh and i was just elbowin ya about the wish list is all.

I did look into gears. Hell i canget a set of 373 for 170 bucks. thats not to bad. Is it real hard to change gears out? I shade tree mechanic and im sure i have the tools. My wifes uncle was a mechanic for 40 years and just died a few years ago and we have all his tools in the barn. About 150k worth of snap on tools. Hell theres tools in there i dont even know what there for. Anyway how hard is a gear change?

well, even with the tools, a rear gear change is something i pretty much say MUST be done with someone with experience to at least look over your shoulder. its a bit of a finesse job that needs to be done absolutly correct or the damage resulting from incorrect alighnment can be quite expensive. youll need a dial guage with a magnetic base, a hydraulic press, a dial torque wrench, and a "click" style torque wrench, and regular hand tools. its tough because you need to use shims to create the propor backlash and contact pattern on the gears. So if youve never done it, and dont really know how to usethe tools, i strongly advise against doing it on your own.

you also have to remember that SCCA classes are divided up by how many mods you have, you can throw every suspension mod under that car and since you have all thoes mods, you could find yourself racing a full blown SCCA mini indy car type thing. If you want to be competitive in SCCA you need a bone stock car with a cat back and street tires.

Woo hoo to what 89 said. Rear-ends are something that def need someone who knows what they are doing. The first one I did went went pretty good, right up untill the time I figured out why I was told to replaces the pinion nut. 85mph, downshifting, rearend goes...ooopppsss and jumps about 3 feet to the right. When your pinion tries to climb your ring gear, during a semi tight curve at 85,,,,, Alls I can say is it was exciting... :-)

OK thanks for all the tips. I think ill run it the way it is this year cept i do want to get a strut tower bar to start. Then ill see what happens. Thanks again for all the input.